Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, But They Were Laying Bricks Every Hour

John Heywood was an English playwright who lived hundreds of years ago.

Today, Heywood is known for his poems, proverbs, and plays. But more than any one work, it’s his phrases that have made him famous. For example, here are some popular sayings that have been attributed to Heywood…

“Out of sight out of mind.”

“Better late than never.”

“The more the merrier.”

“Many hands make light work.”

And there is one phrase from Heywood that is particularly interesting when it comes to building better habits:

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“Rome was not built in one day.”

Just Lay a Brick

Typically, people use the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day” to remind someone of the time needed to create something great.

And it’s true. It takes time — sometimes years — to master a skill, craft, or habit. And while it’s good to keep perspective on your dreams, I think it’s better to remember the other side of this story:

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Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.

The problem is that it can be really easy to overestimate the importance of building your Roman empire and underestimate the importance of laying another brick.

It’s just another brick. Why worry about it? Much better to think about the dream of Rome. Right?

Of course, there’s nothing necessarily impressive about laying a brick. It’s not a fantastic amount of work. It’s not a grand feat of strength or stamina or intelligence. Nobody is going to applaud you for it.

But laying a brick every day, year after year? That’s how you build an empire.

How to Be Productive at Home and Make Every Day a Productive Day

If you’ve ever wondered how to be productive at home or how you could possibly have a more productive day, look no further.

Below you’ll find six easy tips that will help you make the most out of your time:

1. Create a Good Morning Routine

One of the best ways to start your day is to get up early and eat a healthy breakfast.

CEOs and other successful people have similar morning routines, which include exercising and quickly scanning their inboxes to find the most urgent tasks.[1]

You can also try writing first thing in the morning to warm up your brain[2] (750 words will help with that). But no matter what you choose to do, remember to create good morning habits so that you can have a more productive day.

If you aren’t sure how to make morning routine work for you, this guide will help you:

2. Prioritize

Sometimes we can’t have a productive day because we just don’t know where to start. When that’s the case, the most simple solution is to list everything you need to get accomplished, then prioritize these tasks based on importance and urgency.

Week Plan is a simple web app that will help you prioritize your week using the Covey time management grid. Here’s an example of it:[3]

If you get the most pressing and important items done first, you will be able to be more productive while keeping stress levels down.

Lifehack’s CEO, Leon, also has great advice on how to prioritize. Take a look at this article to learn more about it:

3. Focus on One Thing at a Time

One of the biggest killers of productivity is distractions. Whether it be noise or thoughts or games, distractions are a barrier to any productive day. That’s why it’s important to know where and when you work best.

4. Take Breaks

Focusing, however, can drain a lot of energy and too much of it at once can quickly turn your productive day unproductive.

To reduce mental fatigue while staying on task, try using the Pomodoro Technique. It requires working on a task for 25 minutes, then taking a short break before another 25 minute session.

After four “pomodoro sessions,” be sure to take a longer break to rest and reflect.

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I like to work in 25 and 5 minute increments, but you should find out what works best for you.

5. Manage Your Time Effectively

A learning strategies consultant once told me that there is no such thing as free time, only unstructured time.

How do you know when exactly you have free time?

By using the RescueTime app, you can see when you have free time, when you are productive, and when you actually waste time.

With this data, you can better plan out your day and keep yourself on track.

Moreover, you can increase the quality of low-intensity time. For example, reading the news while exercising or listening to meeting notes while cooking. Many of the mundane tasks we routinely accomplish can be paired with other tasks that lead to an overall more productive day.

A bonus tip, even your real free time can be used productively, find out how:

6. Celebrate and Reflect

No matter how you execute a productive day, make sure to take time and celebrate what you’ve accomplished. It’s important to reward yourself so that you can continue doing great work. Plus, a reward system is an incredible motivator.

Additionally, you should reflect on your day in order to find out what worked and what didn’t. Reflection not only increases future productivity, but also gives your brain time to decompress and de-stress.